Coin-controlled mechanism



July I"30, 1929. w. H. RowE 1,722,313

COIN GONTROLLED MECHANISM Filed March 21, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1TIE-'"'-QLL IAN July 30, 1929. 2 w. H. RowE 1,122,313

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM ATTORNEY.

July 30, 1929. w. H. Rows COIN CONTROLLED MECANISH Filed March 21, 19273 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

W.H. RVVE A TTORNE Y.

Patente'd July 30, '1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

'WILLIAM ROWE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

COIN-CONTROLLED MECHANISM.

Application mea March 21, 1927. serial No. 176,848.

This invention relates to a coin freed mechanism for vending machines.

The general object of this invention is to provide 'an improved coinactuated plunger for vending machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coin actuated plungerhaving a novel form of fraud prevention mechanism there- Other objectsand advantages of this invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

' Fig. lis a front view o f a vending machine embodying the features of'my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section through the cabinet taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1showing one* of A my improved coin actuated plungers.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with portions broken away tomore clearly show the plunger mechanisms.

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary section through the cabinet showing a singleplunger mechanism in elevation in a normal locked position, the plungerhousing being vin section.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the plunger unlocked by acoinand partly actuated.l

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section through the cabinet showing a sideelevation of one of the plungers in two positions: fully extended in thedotted line position and in a returning position in full lines.

Fig. 7 is a section of the plunger mechanism partly in' elevation takenon line 7-7 of Fig. 4. l

Fig. 8 is a top plan view, partly insection, of the plunger showing itmoved to eject a package and to eject the coins into the, coinreceptacle.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing a perforated slug caught byone of the fraud prevention devices.

Fig. 10 is a Vfragmentary top plan view partly in section of a singleplunger showing a perforated slug being extracted by another fraudprevention device.

Fig. 11 is a section of the plunger mechanism taken on line 11-11 ofFig. 4.

Fig. 12 is a rear view of the plunger mechanism taken on line 12-12ofFig. 4, and

Fig. l13,.is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the fraud prevention bellringing'mechanism, the be l, battery, and wiring being showndiagrammatically.

VReferring to the drawings by reference characters I have shown avending machine cabinet at 10 embodying the features of my invention.This cabinet includes L-shaped side members 11 joined at the rearbyaback 12 and in the front by a plate 13 and an angular bar 14. Above theplate 13 the cabinet is provided with a shelf l5 which has a pluralityof coin slots 16 therein. Above the shelf 15 there is a door 17 hingedas at 18 to one of the sides 11 and provided with locking means 19 atthe other side of the cabinet.

The closure 17 allows access to the storage I compartments 20 in whichthe packages to be vended, shown as packages of cigarettes 21, are*arranged.v 'Ihe compartments are defined by partitions 22 which havehorizontal base flanges 23 extending part of the length thereof. Thesebase flanges serve as supports for the cigarette packages. Although inthe following speciicationI refer to my invention as used for vendingcigarettes it will be understood that the invention may be used forother purposes or for vending other articles.

'Arranged below the shelf 15 I provide a coin receptacle 25 secured toeach of the sides 11. 'lhe bottom of the coin receptacle` is closed by atrap door 26 which is hinged at the rear thereof at 27 and provided onits front edge with an extending tongue 28. rlhe door 26 is adapted tobe normally held in a closed position by a spring 29.

'lo allowof the removal of the contents of the coin receptacle 25 Iprovide in the front plate 13 a removable closure 30 adapted t0 belocked in position by a lock 31 and adapted to hold the, trap door 26 ina closed positionwhen in place by retaining the tongue 28 of the doorbetween' the lower edge of the lock 31 and a rearwardlyextending lug 32formed on the rear of the closure 30.

The coin actuated plungers for ejecting the packages of cigarettes 21are indicated generally at 35. These plungers have cylindrical endportions 36 which pass through apertures 37 in the front plate 13. Theplungers are provided with rectangular portions 38 which are notched asat 39. Each plunger is mounted in a case 40 which has flanges 41 thereonshown as" removably engaging Aundercut notches on lugs 42 arranged onthe underside of the shelf 15. Lugs 43 on the rear face of the .frontplate 13 serves to position the case 40. Each case 40 is adapted to besupported 48 of the dogs 49.

Each plunger adjacent the shoulder 47 is provided on each side ace witha notch 5l which in conjunction with the adjacent wall ot the casing 4Uroi-nis a coin slot. Each coin slot is normally disposed directly belowone or a pair oi' slots 52 in the end 515 of the casing. .Each slot 52in the casing is disposed directly beneath a coin slotll in the shelfl5.

My improved coin actuated plungers are particularly applicable `for usewhere it is necessary to insert two coins which may be or' dii- Ierentvalue in order to eiiect operation of tne machine, and tiie sizes oi theslots l and 52 and the notcli 5l will be determined by the size oi thecoin required to operate the ina- Chine.

lach of the dogs 49 is provided with a cutaway portion 54 which has aninclined lower suriace 55.? When the proper coin is inserted in eachslot and the plunger 35 is pressed inwardly tne coins wili engage andride up the surfaces 55 and rock the dogs 49 upwardly as the plungermoves in so that the end face 48 will clear the shoulder 47 whereby theplunger may advance (see Fig. 5).

lhe locking dogs 49 are also provided with outwardly and rearwardlyinclined lugs 56. As the coin advances rearwardly from the positionshown in Fig. 5 it will pass the inclined surface 55 and allow the dogs49 to swing downwardly on its pivot until the inclined lug 56 engagesthe coin. As the plunger moves@ rearwardly the coins ride up the lugs 56andare forced out of the notches'or slots 5l.

'lhe case 40 is provided with an aperture 58 in each side and throughthese apertures the coins are discharged into the coin receptacle 25. InFig. 8 at 59 I show coins which are being ejected from the plungermechanism into the coin receptacle 25. 'Ihe pivoted dogs 49 are eachadapted to be normally retainedin contact with the upper face of theplunger by flat spring members 60.

At the rear end of each plunger I provide a pawl 6l (see Fig". 12)pivoted at 62 to a reduced lip v63 formed on the plunger bar 38.l

This Vpawl 61/isprovided with a slot 64 for mounting it on the' lip 63and is so pivoted to the lip that it normally'assumes a verticalposition so that when the plunger is moved rearwardly as shown-in Fig. 5the tip 65 ofthe pawl will engage the lowermost package'of a compartmentand push it oil of the flanges 23. On a return of the'plunger the pawlis adapted to assume an inclined position and ride under the newlowermost package as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

The plunger mechanism is normally adapted to assume a locked position asshown in Fig. 4 by Yproviding a coiled spring 66 which is secured at oneend to a downwardlytexten-ding lug 67 on the plunger bar 38, andanchored .to another downwardly extending lug 68 on the case 40. Thespring 66 passes through a slot 68 in the rear wall of the coinreceptacle 25 while the lug 68 is positioned in a slot 68". The slots 68and `68 are merelyV notches in the bottom wall of the recesses 44.

To prevent surreptitious use and particularl y for. extractingaperturedslugs from the plunger mechanism I provide a device .comsisting of dogs 70 pivoted at 71 to lugs 72 on cach side of the casing40 as clearly shown in Fig. l1. Each dog 70 includes a curved spur 73adapted to normally rest against the back wall of a slot 74 provided inthe bar 38. l/Vhen an apertured slug as shown at 75 in Fig. l0 isinserted in a coin slot and the plunger is moved rearwardly the pointofthe Spur will pass into the aperture in the slug and on a A furtherrearward movement of the plunger mechanism the point of the spur will beraised by the inclined portion 7 5 of the plunger and the coin will beforced out of the notch 51 of the plunger, thus preventing the slug fromactuating one of the dogs 49. As the plunger mechanism is released andmoved forward the rear wall of notch 5l willi strike the slug causingthe pivoted dog 70 to swing outwardly Kand thus due to the curvedformation of the spur 7 3 the slug will be swung outwardly and allowedto drop free of the plunger mechanisni.

To further prevent apertured slugs from actuating the plunger mechanism,if they should for any reason happen to pass by the dogs 70 I mayprovide an additional safety device mounted on either side of the case40 'and indicated generally at 77. A single device 77 consists of a bolt78 mounted in an aperture of a downwardly extending tongue 79 integralwith the case 40 and in an aperture 8O in the side wall of the case. Thebolt 78 has a washer 81 securedtheretoand is adapted to be normallypressed inwardly by a coil spring 82 interposed between the washerandthe tongue 79. A coin will force the bolts 78 outward and will glideunder the bolt 78 b ut when an apertured slug is used the bolt 78 willmove into the aperture of the slug .and prevent any further movement asshown in Fig. 9. I preferably round olf therear side of the inner end ofthe bolt 7 8'as at 84 so that the slug may move forward again with theplunger mechanism to give the dbg 70 another chance to extract the slugfrom the plunger mechanism.

I also prefer to provide an audible signal which will give a warningwhenan apertured slug is being used. -.This device includes a' of theshelfadjacent to the rear end of each of the plunger mechanisms. The contacts85 and 86 are-mounted on an insulated block- 87 which is secured to theshelf 15 by screws 88 and the contacts 85 are all connected together asby a bar 89 and all of the contacts 86 are similarly connected by a bar90 (see Fi .13). The bar 90 is/ connected to a bell 91 a wire 92 and thebar 89 is connected to the bell by a wire 93 through 'a battery or\ vother source of power94.

For forming contact between a set of contacts85 and 86 I provide acontact bar 95 mounted in and adjacent the end of the plunger bar` 38and insulated therefrom. When the plunger mechanism is stopped by thesafety device 77 as'shown in Fig. 9 the. contact bar 95 will bridge thecontacts 85 and 86 and cause the bell 91 to actuate. When thel plungermechanism is actuated roperly by coins of the right denomination t erewill be onl a momentary jingle of the bell 91.

lyrom 'the foregoing description it will be apparent that I haveinvented a coin actuated mechanism which is highly eliicient and whichcan`be economically manufactured and that my mechanism is provided withnovel means for preventing fraudulent use of the mech anism.

AIVhat I claim is Y 1. In combination with a vending machine 'includinga cabinet, a coin actuated mechanism comprising a casing,.a plunger insaid casing, means to prevent actuation of said plunger said meansincluding a ycoin "freed member, meanswhereby insertion of an aperturedslug will prevent movement of the plunger, means for sounding an alarmwhen said plunger is operated after insertion of. an

, apertured slug said alarm soundingmeans of said plunger.

comprising a transverse bar mounted on and insulated from said plunger,and a pair of contacts insulated from Aone 'another and mounted on andinsulated from said cabinet, one of said contacts being electricallyconnectedto an alarm means, and the other of said contacts beingelectrically connected. to said alarm through a source of electricenergy.

l2. A coin actuated plunger' comprising a housing, a plunger in saidhousing, a coin slot in said housing and a coin slot in the side of saidplunger and a fraud prevention device comprising a dog pivoted tosaidhousing, said ldog having a spur thereon, said-spur being adapted toenter the aperture of an apertured slug in said coin slot of saidplung-v er when said plunger is actuated and remove said slug from saidvcoin slot upon actuation 3. A coin actuated plun er comprising a'housing, 'a plunger in"-sa1 housing, a 'coin slotl in .said housing anda. coin slot the side of said plunger, a fraud prevention devicecomprising a dog dpivoted at its upper end pair of contacts 85 and 86 onthe under sideC to said housing, said og having a spur thereon; said'spur being curved forwardly and having its `free end pointed, said dogbeing normally adapted to hang in a vertical osi-r ti'on so that thepointed end of said spur a uts the side ofv said plunger, said spurbeing adapted to enter-the aperture of an aperture slug in said coinslot of said plunger when.

said plunger is'actuated thereby causing the slug to ride uponthe curvedspur and be removed from said coin slot of said plunger,

. said dog being adapted to swing upon its pivhousing and a coin slot inthe side of said plunger, a fraud prevention device comprising a pivoteddo said dog having a spur thereon, said spur eing curved forwardl andhaving its free end pointed, said dog ing normally adapted to hang in avertical posi- V tion so that thefpbinted end of said spur abuts theside of saidplunger, said spur being adapted to enter the aperture of anapertured slu in the coin slot of said plunger when sai plunger" isactuated, thereby causing the slu to ride u on the curved s ur and beremove from sai coin'slot of sai plunger, said dog being adapted toswing upon its pivot to allow said slug to drop from said spur, catchingmeans associated with said housing whereby ,an apertured `slug passing10o said fraud prevention device will coact with .said catching means toprevent further rearvward movementof said plunger, said catching meanscomprising a sprin pressed member, said nember being adapte to enter theaperture `f an apertured slug in said coin slot of said plunger wherebthe rearward movement .of said plunger will e arrested, means on saidmember to free said apertured slug from said plunger upon a forwardmovement of said plunger so that said plunger may be movedto a positionwheresaid previously mentioned Y dog may again act to remove said slugfrom said coin slot of\,said plunger.

5. A coin actuated plunger comprising a housing, a plunger in saidhousing, a'coin slot in said housing and a coin slot in the side of saidplunger, fraud prevention means v associated with said plunger andoperable to extract an apertured slug from said plunger coin slot uponactuation ofV said plunger, other -fraud prevention means associatedwith said housing whereby... an apertured slug unex- 'tracted from saidplunger by said rst fraud prevention means will coact with said secondfraud prevention :means to. prevent full rearward movement of saidplunger. v l i In -testimony whereof,I Iv hereunto Aaffix 'ny signature.

n. sown,

